Xigmatek Crystal 140 (CLF-F1451)

We are very well familiar with Xigmatek Co., Ltd. that manufactures not only processor and VGA coolers, but also all sorts of cooling fans. We got a pair of Xigmatek Crystal 140 (CLF-F1451) fans for this roundup. This series includes five fan models that differ by the LED lighting color: red, green, blue, white and purple. The fans we got were the ones with the blue LEDs.

The cardboard page inside has fan specifications and key features listed on it. Among them are high airflow and static pressure. The interesting thing is that they do not mention the actual number for the static pressure, just say that it is very high. The fan is accompanied by four self-tapping screws and a 325-mm long adapter cable for the PATA power connector:

Xigmatek Crystal 140 fans have transparent frame and impeller that is why it is difficult to see them especially against the white background:

They measure 140x140x25 mm and weigh no more than 150 g. the impeller is 131 mm in diameter. It sits on four pins: three pins – 5 mm wide and the fourth – 10 mm wide. There is a thin cable going along each of the pins towards the LED lights in the corners of the fan frame. Once again we see bushes inside the retention holes in the corners of the fan frame, which won’t let you use conventional fan wire clips utilized on processor coolers.

Xigmatek Crystal 140 fans have seven blades each. They look like slightly bend pads with a sharp front edge and a thicker center:

The blades have a very aggressive angle, but are spaced out quite far from each other because of their small size. According to the specifications, the fan rotation speed is 1000 RPM, the airflow is 60.5 CFM and the noise is no more than 16 dBA! Very impressive, isn’t it? Well, we are going to find out in a minute if it is really the case.

The sticker on the 45 mm rotor of Xigmatek Crystal 140 hides a rifle bearing that should last at least 50,000 hours.

The startup voltage for Xigmatek Crystal 140 fan is claimed to be 7 V, but in our tests both fans started up beautifully even at 5 V. the power consumption readings are also great: despite the declared power consumption of 3.6 W, both fans consumed less than 2 W of power. The sleeved power cable is 300 mm long, which is not too much, I should say, but as you remember there is a 325-mm long PATA connector that could extend this cable a little more. This is what the working fan looks like:

Xigmatek Crystal 140 is made in China, sells for $15 and can break down without causing any financial repercussions for the users within one year from the date of purchase. Now let’s check out their performance:

If we disregard the noise, then Xigmatek Crystal 140 does indeed boast very good airflow, falling just a little behind other testing participants. However, when this fan is working you hear constant roaring generated by the flat blades. Moreover, the fan roars at high speeds as well as low speeds that is why roaring aside we can only call it “quiet” at 610 RPM (the worst results) and acoustically comfortable at 770 RPM (also the lowest result). I have to admit that the fan really does create good pressure according to the difference in airflow under heavy load and under none as well as our subjective impressions. But, unfortunately, this roaring ruins it all.